 Audi R8C at Le Mans Classic 2010 | |
| Category | LMGTP |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Audi |
| Designer(s) | Peter Elleray |
| Technical specifications | |
| Engine | Audi 3.6-litre 90-degree V8 twin-turbo, |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | Audi |
The Audi R8C is a Le Mans Prototype racecar that was built by Audi and designed by Peter Elleray to compete in the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans under the LMGTP category. It was developed alongside the open Audi R8R LMP category spyder, prior to being replaced by the all-new Audi R8 in 2000.
In 1998, when Audi announced its intention to enter the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, the plan was to enter only an open-cockpit prototype, known as the Audi R8R. However, following the dominant performance of GT1-class cars in the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race organizers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), had faced a problem. The GT1 cars had transformed over the past few years from race versions of supercars, as the rules intended, into purpose-built closed cockpit prototypes where one car was modified to be a street legal "production" showcar as almost an after thought. Though these cars were within the GT1 rules, they were not at all what the ACO had intended for the category.
Consequently, the ACO modified classification rules for 1999. In GT ranks, the GT1 category was replaced with the GTS category. The GTS class was far more restrictive on modifications, appearance and meeting a set number of production cars than GT1, but still allowed manufacturers to race sportscars that may otherwise be uncompetitive without major modification. Additionally, in order to address advances and popularity of old GT1 class cars, the ACO created the LMGTP category. The LMGTP category would be for closed cockpit prototypes, which gave a place for the previous GT1 cars, but, under prototype rules now, also freed from certain "production car" restrictions that they had been under in the GT1 category. Under these new rules, LMGTP closed-cockpit cars, with better aerodynamics than open LMP cars, and freed of the GT1 restrictions, had the very real potential of dominating the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Toyota and Mercedes both committed to either modifying existing cars or building brand new cars to take advantage of the new rules. With these developments in mind, Audi decided that it should invest in this new LMGTP class along with the R8R LMP program, hence the appearance of the R8C project.
Unlike the R8R, for which Audi had turned to Dallara, they instead looked to Racing Technology Norfolk (RTN) to design and develop the new R8C. RTN assigned Peter Elleray the task, while Tony Southgate consulted on the project.
The R8C and R8R both use the 600 hp (450 kW) 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but are radically different aerodynamically. While the R8R has a large number of vents placed on the nose, most of the intakes and air exits on the R8C are placed on the sides. The R8C also has thinner wheel arches, partially due to LMGTP rules, at the time, that stipulate the LMGTP cars use thinner tires than the LMP cars in order to off-set the better aerodynamic efficiency, and thus higher top speeds, of the LMGTP cars. Additionally, using a styling feature borrowed from the Toyota GT-One, the inside of the front wheel arches of the R8C are open, so that air does not build up in the wheel wells, and to benefit brake cooling. Like most, if not all other LMGTPs of the time, the cockpit is long, gradually sloping to maximise aerodynamic efficiency. Uniquely, though, the minimum roof height was achieved with the use of raised humps above the driver's position, so that there is a trough down the center of the roof to allow for more air to reach the rear wing. The rear of the car features a boxy, blunt tail that was developed from the improved R8R, however, it is longer in order to better maximize the R8C's aerodynamics.
Unlike the R8R, which was able to complete a full testing program, the R8C was completed late and had very little test time prior to the 24 Hours of Le Mans group test in May. Consequently, the cars suffered numerous setbacks and lacked pace both compared to the R8Rs and overall. The R8Cs were capable of hitting speeds upward of 350 km/h (217 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight, but they lacked handling stability compared to other cars and hence lacked overall speed across a full lap. While the R8Rs managed the 8th and 11th fastest times, the R8Cs could only manage the 22nd and 28th fastest times. Many of the R8Cs' problems stemmed from aerodynamic instability, which, besides creating handling difficulties, was causing a build-up of air underneath the engine cover. This issue caused the R8Cs to lose their rear engine covers on several occasions while at speed.
Audi Sport UK was unable to significantly improve the R8Cs in the month between the test and the actual race. Qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans produced very similar results to the test in the case of the R8C. Car no. 10 only qualified 20th, while car no. 9 was even further behind in 23rd. Conversely, the R8Rs were able to qualify 9th and 11th. During the race, both the R8Rs and R8Cs suffered numerous gearbox difficulties, but Audi Sport Team Joest was better able to cope with the issues on the R8Rs compared to Audi Sport UK with the R8Cs. Car no. 9 was forced to drop out of the race after just 55 laps with gearbox woes, while the car no. 10 succumbed to gearbox failure after the midpoint of the race, on lap 198. In contrast, both R8Rs finished the race despite their gearbox difficulties, finishing in 3rd and 4th place, 5 and 19 laps behind the winning car respectively.
After Le Mans, Audi decided it would concentrate on only one of the two projects going forward. The dismal performance of the R8C, combined with the exodus of all the other manufacturers from the LMGTP class, led Audi to focus on developing the R8R. This would lead to the Audi R8 (race car), which would win Le Mans a total of 5 times between 2000 and 2005.
However, Audi would return to the LMGTP class in 2001 with the Bentley EXP Speed 8. Although similar visually to the R8C, the Bentley EXP Speed 8 was a fresh design other than the Audi engine which powered it and the aerodynamic lessons learned from the R8C. In 2003, the Bentley Speed 8, the evolution of the EXP Speed 8, and, somewhat the spiritual successor of the R8C, won Le Mans. This made the Speed 8 the only car to beat the Audi R8 - the direct evolution of the Audi R8R - at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Only two R8Cs were ever built, chassis No. 101 (car no. 10) and No. 102 (car no. 9). Both were raced by Richard Lloyd's Audi Sport UK. The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the only competition in which the R8Cs were entered .
Audi would return to a closed-cockpit LMP1 car for 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans in order to best take advantage of new regulations provided by the ACO. The car, the R18, would win the race.
The Audi R8 is a Le Mans Prototype sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999. In its class, it is one of the most successful racing sports cars having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005, five of the six years it competed in total. Its streak of Le Mans victories between 2000 and 2005 was broken only in 2003 by the Bentley Speed 8, another race car fielded that year by Volkswagen Group.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose winner is determined by minimum time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. The cars on this track can go up to 366 km/h (227 mph), and in prior events reaching 405 km/h (252 mph) before track modifications. Racing teams must balance the demands of speed with the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without mechanical failure.
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car. Currently, there are three classes within Le Mans Prototypes, designated LMP1, LMP2, and LMP3.
The Bentley Speed 8 was an Autosport Award Winning Le Mans Prototype race car that was designed by Peter Elleray. The EXP Speed 8 debuted in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001 and won the race in 2003. It has a strong resemblance to and shares some technology with the Audi R8C, which had raced only once before Audi dropped the project to focus on the later dominant Audi R8. The EXP Speed 8 marked Bentley's return to racing after a 73-year absence.
The BMW V12 LMR is a Le Mans Prototype built for sports car racing from 1999 to 2000. The car was built through an alliance between BMW Motorsport and WilliamsF1, and was the successor to the failed BMW V12 LM of 1998. It is famous for earning BMW its only overall victory to date at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 73rd 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 18 to 19 June 2005 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close by Le Mans, France. It was the 73rd running of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 5 June. Approximately 230,000 people attended the race.
The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over 17–18 June 2006. The winners of the race were Frank Biela, Marco Werner, and Emanuele Pirro, driving the Audi R10 TDI. For the first time in the history of the race, the winner was a diesel-powered car.
The 72nd 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24 hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars held from 12 to 13 June at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le Mans, France. It was the 72nd edition of the 24 Hour race, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held eight weeks prior to the race on 25 April. Approximately 200,000 people attended the race.
The 71st 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 14 to 15 June 2003 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le Mans, France before approximately 220,000 people. It was the 71st edition of the 24 Hour race, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held seven weeks prior to the race on 4 May.
The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was an automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 15 to 16 June 2002 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close by Le Mans, France. It was the 70th running of the event, as organized by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held five weeks prior to the race on 5 May. The No. 1 Audi Sport Team Joest car of Tom Kristensen, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the race overall and Audi's third consecutive victory in Le Mans, extending back to the 2000 event.
The 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 69th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 16 and 17 June 2001.
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th 24 Hours of Le Mans, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1999. The race had a large number of entries in the fastest Le Mans Prototype classes, with Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lola Cars, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Panoz, Riley & Scott, and Toyota all represented. The BMW V12 LMR of Yannick Dalmas, Pierluigi Martini, and Joachim Winkelhock won overall, with their car's reliability and fuel economy allowing them to beat their faster rivals.
The Toyota GT-One is a racing car initially developed for grand touring GT1 rules, but later adapted into a Le Mans prototype LMGTP car. It raced in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 75th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars, which took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, from 16 to 17 June 2007. It was the 75th edition of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. Unlike other events, it was not a part of any endurance motor racing championship. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 3 June. The event was attended by 250,952 spectators.
The Audi R8R was a Le Mans Prototype built by Audi for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a predecessor to the dominant Audi R8 which debuted in 2000. It was raced alongside the British built closed-cockpit Audi R8C.
The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators. The Audi team's progress and victory was documented in the 2008 film Truth in 24.
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) over 13–14 June 2009 and was started by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo at 15:00 local time. A test day was initially scheduled for 31 May that year, but was canceled by the ACO due to economic concerns. The race was attended by 234,800 spectators.
The Audi R15 TDI, commonly abbreviated to the R15, is a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG. It is the successor to the Audi R10 TDI.
The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a diesel-powered racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car dominated Le Mans, winning each year from its 2006 introduction until it was replaced by the R15 in 2009. It was designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype LMP1 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and other similar endurance races. The car was unveiled December 13, 2005 at 12:00 CET, and went on to win both its maiden race at the 2006 12 Hours of Sebring in March, and the June 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo was a sports prototype racing car built by the Nissan Motor Company and their motorsports division Nismo. Designed for the Le Mans Prototype 1 Hybrid (LMP1-H) regulations of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the GT-R LM was unique amongst Le Mans Prototypes at the time for utilizing a front mid-engine layout for its internal combustion engine, as opposed to the rear mid-engine layout used by nearly all other competitors in the category. It was Nissan's first prototype chassis since the R391 in 1999, although the company had developed engines in recent years. The car was branded after the Nissan GT-R road car and shares similar engine and drivetrain configurations, but is not related to the sports car. The GT-R LM Nismo program was announced on 23 May 2014, while the car was publicly shown for the first time in a Nissan commercial during Super Bowl XLIX on 1 February 2015. It was retired from competition at the end of 2015, after having only competed unsuccessfully at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.
